The UK’s Favourite Wedding Venues and Outfits

Movies and TV can play a big part in creating trends in society, and it appears wedding movies are no different. Wedding insurance provider, Protectivity, surveyed 1,000 people across the UK to learn which wedding film is the UK’s favourite, what the UK’s dream wedding dress would look like, and the types of wedding venues people in the UK love the most.

According to Protectivity’s findings, three-quarters of people in the UK have a favourite wedding film, with 2008’s Mamma Mia coming out as the nation’s favourite; the results found that over 1 in 4 (23%) people list the ABBA musical as their top wedding film.

The results found Mamma Mia to be the most popular amongst women, with 1 in 3 (31%) women rating the ABBA themed movie as their favourite, compared to just 16% of men. For men, the classic 90’s film, Four Weddings and a Funeral, is the most popular as 1 in 5 (20%) state they enjoy it over any other wedding film.

Top 5 wedding movies across the UK:

Wedding dress 

Hollywood’s films portray a wide variety of wedding dresses from the more extravagant, as seen in Bridesmaid, to the more elegant and simplistic, as seen in Mamma Mia. The wedding dress, for a lot of people, is one of the most exciting purchases in the lead up to the big day with the hashtag #yestothedress being used 425,000 times on Instagram. But what do we look for in that perfect dress?

Nearly 1 in 4 brides don’t have a dream shape, however, 68% agree that a floor-length gown is a must-have. When it comes to colour a white dress is traditional and the majority of us, 38%, are opting for this over cream or ivory. Lace is the most popular material for our dream dress with 39% saying this would be their first choice, however, 1 in 5 brides are no longer wanting a traditional veil on their big day.

Wedding suit 

The wedding suit is of course, just as important as the dress. however, it looks as though tradition has taken a back seat as modern fashion moves in, with only 25% of men suggesting they’d pick a black suit. This also rings true with 31% opting for a thin tie over a cravat, traditional tie or bow tie. The modern groom does, however, want to keep things fancy with 66% saying they’d wear a waistcoat for their wedding day. When it comes to the rest of the suit, 76% of men opt for trousers but in Scotland, a kilt still takes pride of place t with 29% of men in Edinburgh looking to keep it traditional with a kilt, alongside 37% in Glasgow.

Wedding venue

The top 5 voted for wedding films show a huge range of venues, from an isolated greek island to a traditional church, it clear to see from films, and in real-life, that a lot of time and effort goes into choosing your venue. One of the biggest expenses when it comes to a wedding can be the venue itself, and there are a lot of options. From a church to a beach or even a barn, what are the dream wedding venues for residents of the UK?

A traditional church comes out on top with 22% of people surveyed opting for this ‘fairytale’ setting. When it comes to over 55’s, 1 in 3 want a church wedding whereas with under 55’s, just 1 in 5 is looking for the same. Belfast is the location most keen to tie the knot in a church with 33% of participants opting for this.

If a church wedding doesn’t do it for you, going abroad is also a great option; 11% of people said this would be their preferred option and in cities such as Belfast and Brighton, going abroad comes second to a church wedding.

Top 5 wedding venues across the UK:

Sean Walsh, Marketing Manager from Protectivity Insurance comments:

“It is clear to see how wedding movies can influence how and where people get married, and what they wear on their special day. As the results show, the second and third most popular wedding locations are the beach and abroad, which suggests not only a cultural shift to more exotic weddings but the influence of films such as Mamma Mia!.”

Which Hollywood movie would you most like your wedding to emulate?